Sideboard Project

One of the things I've learned in living with a man is that we aren't going to share the same enthusiasm for all the same things - (i.e. Dallas cowboys game, sideboard for our house).

Charlotte from Studio 123 had shown me a new sideboard they had just gotten in. I fell in love with the size, lines and hardware. Khaner gave me a yeah, it's great response, and sat back down.

In wanting us to both love the piece, we left without purchasing it.

Wednesday I came home to a beautiful surprise - my sideboard had arrived! Needing a little love, we purchased some varnish, Brasso and guiders for the drawers.

Before: in good shape, just needed some gloss and brasso

Hardware -you can see the before and after effect of the Brasso

As you remember from our kitchen cabinet painting, Khaner was mainly in charge of applying varnish :)

World of a difference!

Finished product - I must say, I am rather pleased with how it came together!

Chandelier

Santa came early this year!

I may have been jumping up and down when Khaner told me we needed to go to Charlotte to pick up a Christmas gift - I knew it was the chandelier from my Thanksgiving weekend at home.

It's even lovelier in our house than it was in the store! I am in love :)

Vegetable Tian

One of our best friends Mallory has been in the Dominican Republic serving as a Missionary for the Kids Alive International program.

Her two year commitment has fortunately brought her home for the holidays this year. In preparation of the five of us having dinner, I made a vegetable dish ahead of time to bake off with roast chicken tonight.

Vegetable Tian from Ina Garten:

• Good olive oil
• 2 large yellow onions, cut in half and sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound medium round potatoes, unpeeled
• 3/4 pound zucchini
• 1 1/4 pounds medium tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs
• 2 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (you can also use Swiss if you can't find Gruyere)

1. In saute pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil and cook onions over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

2. Transfer to a baking dish and spread evenly along bottom.

3. In the mean time, slice up the squash, zucchini, potatoes and tomatoes in 1/4 inch slices.

4. Arrange and layer the vegetables alternately in the baking dish atop the onions and garlic.

5. Sprinkle gruyere cheese and thyme leaves along top of vegetables.

6. Repeat same set of layering again till dish is filled towards top. (The vegetables are going to shrink significantly in the oven).

7. On last layer add in a few whole Thyme sprigs

7. You can either refrigerate to bake off later or cover in aluminum foil and place in oven at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

8. Remove aluminum foil and thyme springs, sprinkle gruyere on top, and continue to bake for another 35-40  minutes till potatoes are softened.

9. Serve warm.

Dining set

After several weekends of searching, hours of scouring the internet, debating different pieces I saw in Charlotte, Khaner and I bought a dining set. You would have thought we were picking out our unborn child's college rather than a table and chairs.

I still am not sure how Khaner *exactly* feels about the set, but he's a good sport, and I don't think he necessarily hates it. We've considered staining it a darker color in the future.

I saw it at Studio123 and fell in love - we drove around, saw other stores, came back, and Khaner negotiated with Charlotte, my favorite employee over there.

I have to say, I am rather in love with my new table and chairs - it's a French country feel, but practical with two leaves (not shown here).

My good friend Ryan had been along with us looking at houses, as his sweet mom was our realtor. Today he mentioned how much the dining room has changed since he first saw it in the showing. All we need next is a sideboard (max 45 inches long - a daunting task).

More to come! Sofa is being reupholstered and is being finished Friday! :)

Holiday Parties

Khaner and I spent a fun weekend hopping to a few Christmas parties, one for my office, one for Kenan-Flagler and one hosted by some of our friends.

Merry Merry!

Living Room Love

One of the drawbacks of our new house is that it lacks a foyer/entry way, so you walk directly into our living room. Growing up with a front hall/foyer, I am not used to walking directly into rooms from the front door (what if you threw your laundry down to fold, or haven't vacuumed?)

I've learned living in Raleigh for over three years, it's the way most of the older homes have been built.
To that end, I've explained to Khaner we need attractive pieces when guests first walk in.  To add to the great club chairs and ottoman my parents got us for Christmas, we purchased a rug that had gone on sale since I had seen it over Thanksgiving.

The color looks a bit darker than it appeared in the store, but I am very happy with it regardless. One other piece we have in the works is our sofa (pictured below) being re-upholstered and the springs in it being re-tied. If anyone in Raleigh needs a good upholster, the one we went with is fantastic, and significantly cheaper than others I called. I am also sincerely hoping Santa is bringing me a chandelier I spotted in Lake Norman that I immediately fell in love with :)

From den:

Close-up:

More pictures of sofa and *possibly* chandelier to come!

Charlotte weekend

One of our best friends Sarah moved to Charlotte shortly after law school and we have yet to make a weekend of visiting - luckily she often comes to Raleigh :)

Dinner at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant in Phillips Place - so good!

Natalie and I hit the road after work on Friday and enjoyed every minute of the amazing weekend

Can't wait to do it again soon! :)

Christmas time

Khaner and I are especially excited for the holidays this year, as our families will be celebrating with us in our new home!

After Thanksgiving we picked out a Christmas tree and garland and I worked away on the ornaments and our mantle.

Fireplace and mantle:

Our first tree! (Missing angel and skirt, to be purchased)

Hope all of you have a wonderful holiday!

Charlotte Purchases

As much as I am a die-hard Raleigh fan, Charlotte has got such a great selection of furniture shops. Mom and I spent a few days over Thanksgiving checking out antique, consignment and restore shops throughout the area.

Mom and Dad treated us to a few pieces - love them all!!!

Rocker for den:

Turkish rug for dining room - an early Christmas present from Mom and Dad:

Club chairs with matching ottoman: steal of the century, and another Christmas gift from Mom and Dad!

Khaner sweetly installed my chandelier (Mom kept saying, "Caroline this is the last gift from us," yet she kept buying :)

We are both so glad there were no fires, electrocutions, shocks or damage done during this installation. I am very lucky to be marrying someone so handy :)

Mom got herself some new french settes for the house from an old favorite shop of ours in downtown Mooresville- I am hoping if she tires of them one can be gifted to me later :)

I highly recommend if you are looking for furniture, to check out ReStore for Habitat for Humanity on Wendover Road in Charlotte, as well as the one in Davidson. Downtown Mooresville has some fantastic antique shops as well.

Birthday Flowers

Khaner has for years gone to Whole Foods for all my flower arrangements - their florist has quite an eye and makes some beautiful creations. I have to say, these are by far my favorite!

They certainly spruce up my cubicle :)

What I'm Coveting

Unfortunately, all my grand plans for the house need to be executed gradually. A former coworker of mine got me hooked to Ballard Design's website - their entire site is 15% and 20% off depending on your spend.

Take a look at some of the pieces I am coveting (Khaner, if you are reading, any of these will do just fine :)

Beverage Cart

Bergere Chair and Ottoman

Outdoor patio set

Louis Wood bed for guest room

Wing Chair

One of my favorite furniture stores in Raleigh, Studio 123, houses some beautiful pieces. I love wandering around through there, and on occasion, dragging Khaner along too.

The owners Martha and Molly blend traditional core pieces with modern accessories. Molly's daughter Charlotte is really helpful and is usually there on weekends.

Their line is typically out of my price range but I get great ideas for replicas.

Take this wing chair I saw in their window

I didn't need to see the price tag to know my household's CFO would prefer a slightly less expensive version. It's not exactly like Studio 123's, but for $134.00, I think it will serve as a nice piece for now :)

Chicken Cacciatore

Sometimes I find myself making the same set of ten meals over and over again, and usually ask my mother for ideas when I'm feeling dinner deja vu.

1 chicken, cut up

1.5 cups flour

1 cup of tomato sauce

1 medium. onion, chopped

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup red peppers

1/2 cup chopped green peppers

2 cups sliced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tbsp olive oil

 

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large sautee pan

Saute onion, garlic and peppers till softened.

Season with salt and pepper

Remove veggies out of pan, and set aside.

Add sliced mushrooms to pan

Add 1 tbsp butter, if desired.

Salt and pepper mushrooms

Once mushrooms are softened, remove from pan and set aside.

Place 1 1/2 cups of flour in a gallon-sized zip lock plastic bag

Place one piece of chicken at a time in bag (shake till flour covers entire chicken piece)

Sautee each piece of chicken - browning it on all sides.

Be sure not to crowd the pan too much

Move sauteed chicken into a roasting pan or pyrex dish

Return vegetables back to pan.

Add wine and tomato sauce and mix well

Pour the sauces and vegetables all over the chicken 

 

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes

Add parsley over top

Pair with brown basmati rice

Guest Room Addition

My two guestrooms are pretty ordinary right now - like the rest of the house, all my "plans" take time.

Wandering around one of my favorite shops, the Cheshire Cat, I found an adorable pillow to spruce up one of the guest room beds.

It's a bit larger than I would have normally purchased, but thought it was a great deal at $20.00! Now that it's on the bed, I wished they'd had two available rather than one.

Easy Entertaining

My mom's number one rule for entertaining is to be with your guests, not in the kitchen. For years I never understood how she accomplished this without buying take-out for everyone.

She has shown me over time that the key is to choose meals that are done basically by the oven. It may involve more prep work prior to cooking, but you are guaranteed to be with friends and family, not standing over a stove.

One recipe we both love and are able to make it somewhat ahead of time is Ina Garten's (can you tell we are obsessed with her?) Roast Loin of Pork with Fennel recipe. (I typically half the ingredients belows as it feeds about 6-8 people the way she has yielded it).

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 (3-pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed and tied
• 3 small fennel bulbs, tops removed
• 8 carrots, peeled, and thickly sliced diagonally
• 10 small potatoes (red or white-skinned), cut in quarters
• 2 yellow onions, thickly sliced
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, grind together the garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, and thyme leaves. Add the mustard. 

Spread the mixture over the loin of pork and allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the fennel bulbs in thick wedges, cutting through the core. 

Toss the fennel, carrots, potatoes, and onions in a bowl with the olive oil, melted butter, salt, and pepper

Place the vegetables in a large roasting pan and cook for 30 minutes. 

Add the pork loin to the pan and continue to cook for another 30 to 50 minutes. 

Remove the meat from the pan and return the vegetables to the oven to keep cooking. 

Cover the meat with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. 

Remove the strings from the meat and slice it thickly. 

Arrange the meat and vegetables on a platter. 

Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve warm.

French Breakfast

One of the many things I love about the French include their choice of breakfast. While in Paris, I relished getting up each morning knowing the freshest croissants, fruit, cheese and coffee awaited me.

Growing up my family always had brunch during the weekends, which involved a lot of eggs, bacon, potatoes, toast, pancakes, etc. Way too much for me, but my happy medium comes from Ina Garten's herbed-baked eggs.

They are easy enough for a work day breakfast, but gourmet enough for company. My mother actually showed me how to make them without burning myself (or the kitchen down). The best part of the recipe is, that it calls for ingredients you already have in the kitchen.

• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves(dried are fine, as well)
• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves(dried are fine, as well)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley(dried are fine, as well)
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
• 6 extra-large eggs
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream (I use half-and-half)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Toasted French bread or brioche, for serving

 

 Preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and place the oven rack 6 inches below the heat

Combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and Parmesan and set aside. Carefully crack 2 eggs into each of 2 small bowls or teacups (you won't be baking them in these) without breaking the yolks. (It's very important to have all the eggs ready to go before you start cooking.)

Place 2 individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon of cream and 1/2 tablespoon of butter in each dish and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Quickly, but carefully, pour 3 eggs into each gratin dish and sprinkle evenly with the herb mixture, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place back under the broiler for 5 to 6 minutes, until the whites of the eggs are almost cooked. (Rotate the baking sheet once if they aren't cooking evenly.) The eggs will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven. Allow to set for 60 seconds and serve hot with toasted bread.

Recent Recipes

With not as much going on this weekend, it was a nice change of pace to have some time to cook and bake. I don't know if it was the change in weather (Raleigh was overcast and chilly all weekend) or if it was the fact we didn't have any set-in-stone plans, but I wore my kitchen out this weekend.

I am lucky to be marrying someone who is very easy-going when it comes to food. He literally will eat anything I put in front of him. With that said, the very rare times he does request something, I feel like I should be accommodating.

After casually mentioning he was craving his favorite oatmeal-raisin cookies, I decided to put my kitchen aid to good use on Sunday.

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin cookies

• 1/2  cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3/4  cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2  cup granulated sugar
• 2  eggs
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1-1/2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2  teaspoon salt (optional)
• 3  cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1  cup raisins
• 1/2 cup cranberries (optional)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.  (I added cranberries and chocolate chips to the last dozen I placed in oven - delicious!)

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered. 

Khaner was tremendously happy with the adjusted recipe :)

It seems like everyone loves pumpkin - pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin-spiced lattes, pumpkin-carving, etc. I am not an overwhelmingly big pumpkin fan, but in the fall, I don't mind them as muffins once in a while. Khaner is of the group that adores everything pumpkin.

My girlfriends and I covet this incredible pumpkin mix from Trader Joe's - it's easy, quick, and delicious. My friend Sarah actually substitutes applesauce for the oil, and it turns out just the same!

1. In a mixing bowl, combine mix, two large eggs, 1 cup water and 1/2 cup oil

2. Pour into muffin cups up to 2/3 full

3. Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes

Ta-da!

I have never been one that is good at making salads - usually I find them tastier at restaurants than any I can create at home. Awhile ago, we had diner in Charlotte with some of Khaner's oldest friends. Monica had made a delicious salad she paired with dinner, and since then, I make this over and over again.

1. Bag of baby spinach leaves

2. 1/4 red onion,sliced

3. 1 avocado, cubed

4. 1/4 cup dried cranberries

5. 1/4 cup slivered, unsalted almonds

6. Goat cheese, crumbled

7. 1 bosc pear, peeled and cubed

8. Champagne dressing (I used Trader Joe's Champagne Pear)

Goes well with fish or chicken!

My friend Sarah has always been one that is ahead of everyone - she knows about the latest books, makeup, fashion, interior design, food, etc.

She got me onto this great soup recipe by a blog she follows (she knows about all blogs!) This weekend was an optimal time to make it, with the weather being so cold and gray.

Chicken and Bacon Potato Chowder

3 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
salt & pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces and seasoned with salt & pepper
1/2 small can diced green chilies
1 cup frozen shredded hashbrowns
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup skim milk
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
dash of hot sauce

1. Sauté chopped bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat until brown and crispy. Remove bacon to a towel-lined plate to drain, leaving drippings in the pot.
2. Turn the heat down to low, add the onion into the pot, season with salt & pepper, then sauté until soft, ~ 8 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for an additional minute, stirring constantly.
3. Turn the heat up to medium-high, add chicken pieces to the pot and cook until done. Add in green chilies and cook for an additional minute, then add in hashbrowns, chicken broth and more salt & pepper. Turn the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, turn the heat down, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until hashbrowns are soft.
4. Meanwhile whisk flour and milk together. (I opted to make a rue with some butter in a saucepan, whisked in the flour, then milk). Slowly stir the mixture into the soup and cook, stirring frequently, until soup is thick.
5. Turn the heat off then stir in the cheese until melted. Add in bacon and hot sauce, then stir to combine.

Fall

It hasn't really felt like Fall until this past weekend. October welcomed us with a ton of rain, on and off humidity, and it hasn't been a perfect crisp weekend until this past one.

On Sunday following the engagement party, Khaner and I went with some friends to a local farm where they had corn mazes, hay rides and fun activities for children. Though we had no children with us, it was an enjoyable time followed up with some serious pumpkin carving.

Kendall whipped out a drill and dremel for hers

Then realized she needed some help

Our finished product - looking forward to putting them on porch with tea lights

Kendall's work of art, product of drilling and dremeling

Happy Fall!!